One Party Is Not Enough To Protect
The Freedoms and Rights of A Free People, and a Free Nation
Until a few years ago, it would have seemed illogical, distracting, and a waste of words, to spend any time or effort pointing out that ONLY-ONE-party systems are not good. The reasons are plentiful, and obvious. One-party systems degenerate – inevitably, and with depressing speed – into corruption, abuse, cronyism, the jailing and torture of political opponents, and grotesque levels of theft, from the public treasury and public welfare, by those in power, and their supporters. Any good conservative would have said, resoundingly and with no hesitation whatever, that America is and must remain a land of freedom, and anyone who espouses or endorses socialism (as a type of economic behavior) and/or communism (as the type of government which is created by truly dedicated socialists) is an enemy of America, and of freedom.
But then, strange things began to happen, and in the past few years, it appears that quite a few Trump supporters have begun to think that America would be better off, if THEY – as a special and select group – could somehow gain enough power to impose their will on everyone else.
Any moderate (and any student of history, politics, or government) should realize that history has shown – so many times that it is beyond serious dispute – that if ANY small group of people who are driven by a compulsive craving for power, somehow become able to gather so much power – for themselves – that they can then begin arresting and imprisoning (or even just threatening, intimidating, and silencing) any potential rivals, trouble‑making journalists, and anyone else they regard as a threat (or even just a nuisance) . . . well, that is exactly, and predictably, what those types of hyper-alpha, hyper-ambitious, domineering people will do.
The Two‑Party Party has NO interest in spending time, energy, or effort, arguing with people who think America would be better off if the Republicans could somehow drive the entire Democratic Party into submission, and silence. Even if radical right-wingers can somehow convince themselves (mistakenly) that THEY stand for freedom, while Democrats stand only for bigger government, less freedom, and evil; and, therefore, if THEY (the right-wingers) can somehow take control of government, and drive anyone who opposes them into submission and silence, then THAT would create a new era of freedom . . . well, people who think in THOSE terms are simply wrong. Power corrupts; it always has, and it always will, and even if it cannot corrupt some particular individual, it is inevitable that a group of conniving and unscrupulous “lesser talents” – in their incessant drive to gain power for themselves – will find ways to “work around” and undermine whatever limits the incorruptible person tried to enforce. Within just a few years, ANY single-party system will be taken over by the types of hyper-ambitious, hyper-aggressive connivers who always, always want more power for themselves, and they will begin doing the exact opposite of “protecting freedom”. And, their underhanded, conniving manipulations will soon lead to an intolerant, overbearing, and even fascist-type (or communist-type) government that does all it can to isolate and insulate itself from the wants, needs, and complaints of the complainers. The lessons and examples of history teach that warning so clearly, predictably, and uniformly, that anyone who mistakenly clings to the opposite belief suffers from dangerous levels of ignorance, and gullibility.
The simple fact is that Democrats keep the Republicans in check; Republicans keep the Democrats in check; and, citizens and voters need to have BOTH parties offering plausible and serious candidates, in nearly any and all elections, to sustain a form of government that can reasonably be called “a democratic republic,” which is what America is, and needs to remain, if it is going to continue being a powerful and successful country which can protect its citizens, and will respecty their rights.
If anyone is so ignorant of both history, and human nature, that he can fool himself into believing that an “authoritarian” leader might be willing to step in, do a lot of good for the country, and then voluntarily relinquish power, after getting it . . . well, both of the 2020 and 2024 Presidential elections offer more examples, in a long, long string of historical examples, which consistently prove that . . . no, that is not how anyone in power thinks, behaves, or interacts with anyone who tries to take his power away from him.
Our Constitution’s system of “checks and balances” does not just divide power among the three branches of our federal government; instead, it also recognizes and accepts that there will always, always, ALWAYS be conflicts and clashes in other areas as well, whenever men driven and tormented by ambition, vanity, selfishness, and a desire for glory and power, begin fighting among themselves, with each one struggling as hard as possible (and not always fairly or honestly, as history also shows) to gain more power and control than any rivals. Those areas of conflicts and disputes include, for example: : (i) the allocation of powers among local, state, and federal governments; (ii) the rights of individuals versus governments; and, (iii) the compromises that must be made, when personal rights clash with property rights.
The balances and compromises that were woven into the fabric of our Constitution from its very beginning (and which became possible only after the “Articles of Confederation”, which preceded it, had totally failed to create a functional and workable government) are the best protectors of the rights and freedoms that Americans have. Those compromises were knowingly created by men who understood history, human behavior, and the dangers of too much ambition; and, they were designed and intended, from the very beginning, to create lawful and usable ways to address and resolve conflicts, and to protect the rights of . . . if not truly EVERY-one, then at least, more people than any other nation in history has ever been able to accomplish.
And, so . . . American citizens and voters truly NEED to keep some form of balanced TWO-party system running, if they want to somehow remain free from a heavy-handed authoritarian leader taking over, and then paving the way for other men of lesser talents to push us farther down a greased slope, toward outright abuse and lawlessness by our own government, against us, the people. The Founding Fathers, and our Constitution, gave “the people” – for the first time, ever, in the history of any nation on earth – the right to be the masters of, and the ultimate source of power over, our government. Any wingnuts who are gullible enough, short-sighted enough, and frankly stupid enough, to fail to see and recognize the wisdom of THAT system, and who would willingly destroy our rights, as citizens, by letting what used to work FOR us, take control over us and become OUR MASTER, need and deserve to be resisted, in any way possible, and in every way necessary.